Strand coating apparatus



Feb. 8, 1966 J. P. MAJETTE STRAND COATING APPARATUS Filed July 19. 1961 E y M 5 m Mm. m v N 1 Z4 United States Patent 3,233,585 STRAND COATING APPARATUS Joseph P. Majette, Charlotte, N.C., assignor to C. A. Norgren Co., Littleton, Colo, a corporation of Colorado Filed July 19, 1961, Ser. No. 125,141 14 Claims. (Cl. 118-600) This invention relates generally to the application of fluid. treating agents to strand material as a continuous length of the strand material is fed for processing or otherwise caused to travel, and more particularly to the effective utilization of so-called micro-fog distribution systems for such application of fluid treating agents.

The means provided by the present invention for this purpose may be employed to particular advantage for applying the processing oils with which knitting yarns are often treated as they are fed to a knitting machine, and the invention is described in detail further below in relation to an embodiment arranged with this use in mind. However, the invention is likewise adaptable generally for use in applying any fluid lubricating, sizing, conditioning or finishing agent to any strand material.

The so-called micro-fog distribution systems have been heretofore employed extensively for lubricating the operating elements of a variety of machines and mechanisms, and are characterized by the distribution of a finely atomized air-borne suspension of the lubricant from a main supply to a point adjacent the operating element being serviced, where a special fitting receives the air-borne suspension and acts to agglomerate the fluid particles of the suspension substantially in delivering the distributed lubricant supply to the operating element needing lubrication. The fluid particle agglomeration, incident to such delivery, conditions the supplied lubricant for precipitation or condensation from the airborne suspension as it impinges on the operating element, so that the carrier component of the suspension is freed of lubricant and may be released to leave a supply of lubricant at the operating element that is continuously and evenly maintained in an exceptionally eificient manner.

The efficiency of such a system depends, however, on effective precipitation or condensation of the fluid particles from the suspension at the operating element, for if the carrier component is released with any appreciable proportion of fluid particles still entrained therein, the result is a continuous waste of lubricant as well as a messy and objectionable condition at the operating element. Usually the necessary lubricant condensation can be arranged for readily at a machinery operating element, because such elements characteristically have a surface thereof to be lubricated and against which the suspension may be directed to effect the condensation through impingement thereon.

But in employing a system of this sort according to the present invention for applying a treating agent to strand material, such impingement cannot be obtained effectively both because the strand material does not present an appropriate surface for this purpose, and because any attempt to impinge the delivered treating agent suspension on the strand material must leave this material free to travel continuously and is necessarily ineflicient for this reason. Accordingly, the condensation of the treating agent to be applied must be provided for otherwise than is done in the conventional lubricating systems, and the present invention accomplishes this result to exceptional advantage by condensing the treating agent suspension through use of a non-absorptive filter mass, together with a venting arrangement, by which the treating agent is delivered uniquely for application to the strand material, as described at length below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in wh1ch:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration showing treating agent applying means embodying the present invention and indicating the manner in which strand material is handled thereat;

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the means shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section detail at the line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section detail corresponding generally to FIG. 3, but illustrating a modified form of bottom closure and drain fitting for the treating agent applying means shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the illustrated applicator means embodying the presentinvention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, and is shown in FIG. 1 with. a yarn strand-S trained therethrough from a package supply P in the course of being directed, by a suitable quide element as at G, for feeding to a processing operation. In, the illustrated instance of an embodiment adapted particularly for use in applying processing oils to knitting yarns as previously noted, the yarn strand S would be extended beyond the guide element G in the. direction indicated, by the arrow to a knitting machine for feeding in the usual manner during the knittin operation after having had a processing oil or the like applied thereto by the applicator means 10.

The applicator means 10, as further illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, comprises a body member 12 having a chamber 14 formed therein with a delivery fitting 16 mounted to communicate with this chamber 14. The delivery fitting 16 is of the type commonly used in microfog distribution systems to agglomerate the atomized fluid particles at the distribution point, and a fitting of this sort is generally referred to as a reclassifier. The drawings indicate fragmentarily at 18 the distribution conduit running to the fitting 16 through which the micro-fog supply is received from the distribution source (not shown), and the fitting 18 accordingly serves to receive the finely atomized air-borne supply of the processing oil or other treating agent being applied, and to discharge this supply into the chamber 14 with the fluid particles thereof agglomerated substantially upon such discharge.

The chamber 14 in turn contains a non-absorptive filter mass 20 disposed in the path of the processing oil discharge from the fitting 16, by which a first stage of the previously mentioned precipitation or condensation of the processing oil is effected. By the term non-absorptive, it is meant that the fitler mass 20 is such as to start the precipitation effectively while still allowing the precipitated processing oil to discharge freely therefrom. Steel wool, for example, serves exceptionally well for this purpose, and has the advantage of being readily available in a Wide range of grades so as to allow a considerable selection as to fineness in relation to the filtering action needed for the particular processing oil or treating agent being handled. Alternatively, glass fibers might be employed in forming the filter mass 2t), or various sorts of synthetic fibers could be used, and some material of this sort should. of course, be employed in any instance where the treating agent being handled is reactive at all in the presence of steel wool so as to be contaminated undesirably thereby.

Below the chamber I4, the body member 12 has an aperture 22 extending therethrough that is shaped with adjacent surfaces 22 and 22" which are angularly related so as to form a concave pocket at the juncture thereof throughout the extent of the aperture 22. In addition, the body member 12 has at least one passageway formed taken substantially therein to provide a discharge outlet extending downwardly from the chamber 1 to the aperture 22 as seen at 24 in FIG. 3; the discharge outlet thus provided being arranged to discharge against one of the angularly related aperture surfaces 22 in spaced relation from the concave pocket formed with the adjacent aperture surface 22. Preferably, several of these discharge outlet passageways 24 are provided, as indicated in FIG. 2, so that they may each be maintained small enough in diameter for discharging the condensed processing oil effectively from the chamber 14 under the operating pressure of themicrofog distribution system, while at the same time avoiding any undue back pressure build-up at the chamber 14. The result of this arrangement is a second stage of precipitation or condensation that deposits the discharged processing oil at the opposed aperture surface 22, and concurrently releases the carrier component of the airborne supply for harmless dissipation in the surrounding atmosphere.

As thus arranged, the body member 12 is further equipped with a mounting bracket 26 by which it may be attached at the knitting machine, or adjacent any other processing equipment at which it is to be used, with the aperture 22 therein extending horizontally, and with the opposed aperture surface 22', on which the processing oil condensate is deposited, inclined laterally downward toward the concave pocket formed at the juncture with the adjacent aperture surface 22", so that the deposited processing oil flows to and puddles at this concave pocket for application to the yarn strand S. Such application is effected readily by training the yarn strand S linearly through the aperture 22 at the concave pocket, which may be done conveniently by fitting the body member 12 with a housing 28 to surround in spaced relation the por tion thereof in which the aperture 22 is formed and mounting guide eyes 30 in opposite wall portions of the housing 28 in alignment with the concave portion of the aperture 22 so as to allow feeding of the yarn strand S therethrough as indicated in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the housing 28 might be slotted laterally to allow disposition of the yarn strand S at the aperture 22 without requiring any piecing-up.

The housing 28 is preferably formed of a transparent material so that the yarn strand S may be observed, whenever desired, as it feeds through the puddled processing oil, and the housing 28 should also be shaped as a cup to catch any spillage of processing oil from the body member aperture 22; the body member 12 being suitably provided with a depending screw shank 32 for attaching the cup-shaped housing 28, and the housing 28 being fitted with a valve unit 34 at its bottom for convenient draining of processing oil spillage caught therein. FIG. 4 illustrates a modified form of housing 28 that is tubular in form, rather than being cup-shaped, and that is provided with a bottom closure fitting 36 arranged to engage the screw shank 32 and having drain plug 38 installed therein through which oil spillage might be continuously carried off through a suitable conduit 40.

An applicator means arranged in the foregoing manner in accordance with the present invention makes it possible to meter the supply of processing oil nicely for application to a yarn strand S or the like, so that an effective supply of the processing oil is consistently maintained at the point of application with excellent efficiency both as to use of the processing oil economically and as to the application results obtained. In this connection it may be noted in more particular that the agglomerated processing oil discharge from the reclassifier fitting 16 is preferably made to change direction in discharging from the filter mass 20 through the outlets 24, as this seems to enhance the condensing action obtained. What appears to be involved is an action by the filter mass 20 that results in a two-phase discharge therefrom, composed partly of draining condensate and partly of the carrier com ponent of the original air-borne supply with an appreciable amount of fluid particles still entrained therein. By changing the direction of discharge through the filter mass Ztl, an increased proportion of draining condensate is apparently obtained, so that the relative amount of condensing action required through impingement at the aperture surfaace 22' is reduced to balance the first and second condensing stages nicely in delivering the processing oil for application to the yarn.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Means for applying a fluid treating agent to a traveling strand comprising a body member having a chamber formed therein, a delivery fitting on said body member for receiving a finely atomized air-borne supply of said fluid treating agent and discharging said supply into said chamber with the fluid particles of said supply agglomerated substantially upon such discharge, a nona-bsorptive filter mass disposed in said chamber in the path of said fluid treating agent discharge, an aperture extending through said body member below said chamber, a discharge outlet in said body member from said chamber to said aperture, a fiat wall located beneath said discharge outlet and adjacent said aperture adapted to receive the discharge from said outlet, means for mounting said body member with the aperture therein extending horizontally, and means for training said traveling strand through said aperture.

2. Means for applying a fluid treating agent to a traveling strand comprising a body member having a chamber formed therein, a delivery fitting on said body member for receiving a finely atomized air-borne supply of said fiuid treating agent and discharging said supply into said chamber with the fluid particles of said supply agglomerated substantially upon such discharge, a non-absorptive filter mass disposed in said chamber in the path of said fluid treating agent discharge, an aperture extending through said body member below said chamber, a discharge outlet in said body member extending from said chamber to said aperture for discharge therein against a surface of said aperture, means for mounting said body member with the aperture therein extending horizontally and with said aperture surface inclined laterally, and means for training said traveling strand through said aperture in relation to a level of said inclined aperture surface below the level thereof at which said body member outlet discharges.

3. Means for conditioning a textile yarn with a fluid treating agent as said yarn is fed for processing in carrying out a textile manufacturing operation, said means comprising a body member having a chamber formed therein, a delivery fitting on said body member for receiving a finely atomized air-borne supply of said fluid treating agent and discharging said supply into said chamber with the fluid particles of said supply agglomerated substantially upon such discharge, a non-absorptive filter mass disposed in said chamber in the path of said fiuid treating agent discharge, an aperture extending through said body member below said chamber, a discharge outlet in said body member extending from said chamber to said aperture for discharging therein against a surface of said aperture, means for mounting said body member with the aperture therein extending horizontally and with said aperture surface inclined laterally, said aperture being otherwise shaped to form a puddling pocket at a level of said inclined surface below the level thereof at which said discharge outlet discharges, and means for training said textile yarn to direct the feeding path thereof through said aperture at said puddling pocket.

4. Means for treating a knitting yarn with a fluid processing oil as said yarn is fed to a knitting machine for forming knit fabric therefrom, said means comprising a body member having a chamber formed therein, a delivery fitting on said body member for receiving a finely atomized air-borne supply of said processing oil and discharging said supply into said chamber with the fluid particles of said supply agglomerated substantially upon such discharge, a non-absorptive filter mass disposed in said chamber in the path of said processing oil discharge, an aperture extending through said body member below said chamber, said aperture being shaped with adjacent surfaces that are angularly related to form a concave pocket at the juncture thereof through the extent of said aperture, a discharge outlet in said body member extending from said chamber to said aperture for discharging against one of said aperture surfaces in spaced relation from said concave pocket, means for mounting said body member on said knitting machine With the aperture therein extending horizontally and with said last mentioned aperture surface inciined laterally downward toward said concave pocket, and means for training said yarn to direct the feeding path thereof linearly through said aperture at said concave pocket.

5. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 4 and further characterized in that said non-absorptive filter means is formed of steel Wool.

6. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 4 and further characterized in that said aperture is formed by slotting said body member from a side thereof so that a side and the bottom of the resulting slot form said adjacent angularly related surfaces.

7. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 4 and further characterized in that said body member is fitted with a housing that surrounds in spaced relation the portion of said body member through which said aperture extends, and in that said housing has guide eyes mounted in opposite Wall portions thereof in alignment with said aperture to form said yarn training means.

8. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 7 and further characterized in that said housing is formed of a transparent material and has the bottom end thereof closed to catch spillage of processing oil from said body member aperture, and in that means is provided at the bottom of said housing for draining processing oil spillage therefrom.

9. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 4 and further characterized in that said delivery fitting is arranged to discharge into said chamber in a direction different from that in which said discharge outlet extends from said chamber.

10. Means for applying a fluid treating agent to a traveling strand comprising: a body member having a chamber therein and an outlet from said chamber, means connected to said body member to receive a fine atomized air-borne supply of treating agent and to discharge the supply fluid substantially agglomerated into said chamber, first stage precipitation means located in said chamber adapted to partially precipitate the agglomerated fluid 8 in said chamber, second stage precipitation means located adjacent said chamber outlet adapted to further precipitate fluid discharging through said outlet, means located adjacent said second stage precipitating means to collect the fluid precipitated by said second stage precipitating means.

11. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 10 and further comprising means connected to said body means to guide a traveling strand through the fluid collected by said collecting means.

12. Means for applying a fluid treating agent to a traveling strand comprising: delivery means adapted to convey a finely atomized airborne supply of a fluid treating agent, means associated with said delivery means to precipitate said treating agent from said air-borne supply, and means to guide a traveling strand past said precipitating means in such a manner that the precipitated treating agent is applied to the traveling strand. at said precipitating means.

13. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 12 and further characterized in that said precipitating means acts to collect the precipitated treating agent.

14. Means incorporating the structure defined in claim 12 and further characterized in that the precipitating means includes a collecting surface and in which the strand contacts the precipitated treating agent on said surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 984,446 2/1911 Smith 118-420 1,561,445 11/1925 Elsaesser et a1. 118-420 X 2,007,441 7/1935 Candy 117 2,018,627 10/1935 Apprich 66-125 2,018,648 10/1935 Dinley 117 2,363,754 11/1944 Smith et a1. 184-7 2,373,078 4/1945 Kleist 118 2,642,035 6/1953 McDermott 118-420 X 2,642,156 6/1953 Gothberg et a1. 187-7 2,744,563 5/ 1956 Mennerich 118-420 X 2,753,953 7/1956 Tear 184-7 X 2,772,750 12/1956 Bustriclcy 184-7 2,810,541 10/1957 Thomas 184-7 2,840,185 6/1958 Norgren 184-7 2,844,019 7/1958 Schurmann et a1 118 2,954,844 10/1960 Thomas 187-7 3,052,318 9/1962 Thomas 184-7 3,067,600 12/1962 Minton 66-125 FOREIGN PATENTS 423,819 1/ 1926 Germany.

558,224 2/1957 Italy.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

J. B. SPENCER, RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Examiners. 

1. MEANS FOR APPLYING A FLUID TREATING AGENT TO A TRAVELING STRAND COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER HAVING A CHAMBER FORMED THEREIN, A DELIVERY FITTING ON SAID BODY MEMBER FOR RECEIVING A FINELY ATOMIZED AIR-BORNE SUPPLY OF SAID FLUID TREATING AGENT AND DISCHARGING SAID SUPPLY INTO SAID CHAMBER WITH THE FLUID PARTICLES OF SAID SUPPLY AGGLOMERATED SUBSTANTIALLY UPON SUCH DISCHARGE, A NONABSORPTIVE FILTER MASS DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER IN THE PATH OF SAID FLUID TREATING AGENT DISCHARGE, AN APERTURE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BODY MEMBER FROM SAID CHAMBER DISCHARGE OUTLET IN SAID BODY MEMBER FROM SAID MEMBER TO SAID APERTURE, A FLAT WALL LOCATED BENEATH SAID DISCHARGE OUTLET AND ADJACENT SAID APERTURE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE DISCHARGE FROM SAID OUTLET, MEANS FORT MOUNTING SAID BODY MEMBER WITH THE APERTURE THEREIN EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY, AND MEANS FOR TRAINING SAID TRAVELING STRAND THROUGH SAID APERTURE. 